Nanoparticles by ICP-RF plasma: a versatile process to synthesize tuneable nanoparticles

To explore new routes for the synthesis of efficient, durable and low-impact catalyst materials is highly desirable and urgent to face the so-called energetic transition. In this work we present a new approach for the metal/carbon catalyst synthesis based on low-pressure plasma treatment of a powder mixture comprising a high-surface area carbon support and an organometallic precursor. These catalysts materials have been recently demonstrated as a highly-versatile and eco-friendly for applications in proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells. Compared to conventional chemical fabrication, plasma processing offers the advantage of reducing the environmental impact of the catalyst by reducing the energy consumption and relying on a solvent-free waste-free scalable process. We investigated the nucleation process of Pt Ni and Co nanoparticles, under different plasma discharge conditions (power, time) and
plasma composition (O, Ar and N-based plasmas) to affect the catalyst morphology and the chemical state of metal nanoparticles. Catalysts have been systematically characterized by analytical methods. Moreover we have explored the deposition of bimetallic Pt-Ni and Pt-Co nanocatalysts showing that the simultaneous or the sequential treatment of the two metal precursors leads to very different catalyst morphologies.